Major facelift for Chipinge’s Emerald Secondary School

The Zimbabwe Republic Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga yesterday hosted a fund-raising golf tournament at the Police Golf Club to revamp Emerald Secondary School in Chipinge district of Manicaland.

The rural school which is located in the remote area of Chipinge district faces several challenges ranging from shortage of classrooms, offices and inadequate staff.

The Emerald Secondary School Alumni led by the ZRP Commissioner-General who comes from Chipinge and some corporates have partnered and helped finance various initiatives.

“I was touched more by the plight of Emerald Secondary School which was sharing premises with its junior school. From then on I took it upon myself to play a huge role in helping transform its condition and position among other schools,” said Commissioner-General Matanga.

Liquid Telecom Zimbabwe Managing Director Wellington Makamure said as part of their corporate social responsibility he had responded to the clarion call.

He said the construction of a computer lab to keep in sync with obtaining global educational trends where the digital footprint has become the norm would assist in nurturing well-rounded global citizens.

“Once complete the school should take the necessary steps to ensure to safeguard the abuse of computers as well as protect the children using them,” he said.

Former headmaster Zacharia Mhlanga said the school became operational in 2004 with an enrolment of just 56 pupils and two classrooms but had steadily increased over the years to the current total of 395 pupils comprising 184 girls and 211 boys.

“It [school] now requires 10 standard classrooms and grappling with a shortfall of six classrooms,” he said.

History will certainly record that the fund-raising golf tournament changed the lives of the children in Matanga, Marozva, Mandaa, Masheedze, Barauta, Bonyongwe and Chikono villages and help them bridge the technological gap.